Between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, many Europeans and Americans traveled to the Middle East for a number of reasons. Some came to conduct archaeological expeditions or tour religious sites, while others hoped to investigate ancient cultures or pursue geopolitical interests. These travelers documented their visits through narratives and images, and today these documents provide invaluable resources for students and scholars in a variety of disciplines, ranging from literature and women’s studies, to archaeology, religion, history, and postcolonial studies.

Until now, these materials have been scattered throughout libraries and private collections around the world, and systematic research on these documents has been time-consuming and expensive. However, TIMEA, the Travelers in the Middle East Archive, provides greater access to many of these rare materials as well as sophisticated analytical tools, thereby enabling new modes of scholarship focused on these textual, visual, and geographical resources.

The Travelers in the Middle East Archive (TIMEA) offers digitized travel narratives, photographic and hand-drawn images of the subject areas, and interactive GIS maps. In addition, TIMEA provides teaching and research modules that set the materials in context and guide users through the process of conducting research.

The initial phase of the project focuses on resources related to Egypt, but the development of the archive is ongoing. We invite you to check this site often for new content.

Texts and images from the Travelers in the Middle East Archive are currently accessible through Rice University's DSpace Digital Archive.

TIMEA gratefully acknowledges the support of the IMLS and Rice's Computer and Information Technology Institute (CITI).